Fun at the Hop & Friday Five

'Tis been a busy summer so far.  Visits with our children and the grandchildren too!  At the same time, I am also really trying to stay focused and busy with my reading.  I am also very honored to be leading a group-read of Thomas Hardy's novel, Far From the Madding Crowd, on Goodreads.com in the "Victorians" group, and it is turning out to be an absolute blast.  I am also experiencing for the first time the powerful poetry of Thomas Hardy.  And as hard as it may be to believe, I am coming to realize that Hardy may be an even better poet than prose writer.

But It is Friday, and it is time to 'Hop.'  This is my third 'Hop', and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying meeting all of you who love books as much as I do, and finding some really terrific blogs to follow.  The 'Hop' is the brainchild of Jennifer at Crazy for Books.  You can go here to her fun blog and learn more about the 'Hop' and sign yourself up too.

This week's Book Blogger Hop question is:  "How many blogs do you follow?"

[Looking slightly sheepish]  Currently, I am only following twenty different blogs.  Most of them are book blogs too.  I do try, each and every day, to scroll down and see what my peers are posting about, and I also try and leave meaningful comments as appropriate.  I have to happily confess that several of the blogs that I now follow are ones that I have discovered through my two previous 'Hops,' so Jennifer's notion was a truly good one--it works!  I know that I will be finding more of you out there too, and I look forward to it!

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Another blog I enjoy is Kate's Library and Kate offers a fun and nifty weekly activity called "The Friday Five."  Here, we are encouraged to share several interesting blog postings that we encountered during the week.  Like the 'Hop,' it is a great way for all of us to move about the blogosphere and find other cool sites and postings.  Should you like to participate in "The Friday Five" go visit Kate's Library, just 'for the joy of reading,' and join in the fun!  Here are my offerings (three this time, more to follow soon)--

Brenna at Literary Musings wrote an absolutely brilliant review of Henry James's "Washington Square."  This was a novel that I first read when in the U.S. Coast Guard in my early twenties, and I was completely blown away.  Brenna is a great writer, and I encourage you to stop by and check out what she's reading and writing about!

Isaac at The Tower of Stories is a blogger that tends to focus on short story fiction.  Shorts tend to be bypassed by many of us, and at our peril I say.  If you're looking for good short story authors, recommended collections, and reviews, Isaac is your guy.  Give him a look, and go find some short stories to read.

Finally, if you love books and 'Dinner and a Movie,' please stop by and visit Every Book and Cranny.  She has some absolutely terrific postings, and features her love of books, great food, and all-things Alfred Hitchcock!  Great fun!

So, have fun hopping about and checking out some new literary blogs.  It'll do you good!  I wish you all a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for stopping by and visiting!